Do You Believe in Destiny?
by Olivia Dunham
Summary: Charlotte managed to live, and is now living among the Dharma Inititive, with her younger self. Will she and Daniel even make it off the Island alive and in one piece? Not to mention the Oceanic 6 returning with Ben and Locke. Daniel/Charlotte, Other Pair
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, I refuse to believe that Charlotte is dead. So I'm writing this, just because I'm in a mood. So enjoy! And this will probably be more than one chapter!

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own LOST.

XXX

Her entire body ached, her muscles stiff and sore. She couldn't move, but her brain was functioning properly enough to know that something had happened. Something bad. A heavy feeling had settled deep within her stomach, and she felt as though at any moment, she might throw up.

Letting out a soft groan, she rolled over on her side, finally getting her body to function. But rolling over just made it worse, her eyes squeezing tightly shut as she tried to ignore it and push herself up to her knees. After a moment, she managed to force her eyes open, bright light flooding them and causing her to blink rapidly to allow her pupils to adjust to the sudden light.

Looking around, she shaded her eyes with one hand, pulling herself to her feet by grabbing a low branch from a tree with the other.

Charlotte Lewis took a ginger step forward, making sure her body was able to support itself, and she wouldn't go falling to the ground. Once assuring herself that she was fine, she began to examine her surroundings more – nothing but foliage and dirt, and the occasional bug or rock. Frowning, she did a complete 360-degree turn, trying to figure out just why the hell she had just awakened in the middle of an empty, deserted, isolated jungle.

"Don't move."

The voice was harsh, and very low, so low that she didn't almost hear it. Charlotte hadn't even heard the person approach. She raised her hands in defense, but otherwise remained stationary.

"What are you doing on our Island?"

She carefully turned her head, looking out of the corner of her eye at the man with the gun currently pointed at her head.

"Your island?"

"Yes, our Island." He confirmed, and reached forward, grabbing her by the arm. "You're one of them aren't you?"

"One of who? I don't know what the bloody hell you're talking about!" She said in a clipped tone, struggling as he attempted to tie her hands together behind her back. "Stop it!"

"Stay still or I'm going to shoot you!" The man hissed in a low tone. She winced as the harsh rope dug into her skin. A cloth came from behind and he gagged her with it, tying it behind her head. "If you don't want to answer my questions, then you'll answer his." The man said and with a rough movement, shoved her forward deeper into the jungle.

Charlotte could feel the blisters forming on her feet as they walked, every once in a while the man shoving her forward in an attempt to make her go faster. And every time, it just made her want to go slower. Her headache had gone for the moment, which was the only good thing about her current situation.

Night was falling, and fast. The sun had set over the trees, and very little light was left, but yet, the man kept her walking. So she was surprised when he grabbed her by the arm again, stopping her in her tracks.

She muttered something from behind her gag, but he glared at her, signaling for her to keep quiet. Charlotte did remain silent for a moment, jumping in surprise when suddenly torches lit up all around them in a circle.

"Peter, what had you got there?" A familiar voice said. She couldn't place it, until another man stepped from the line of torches, holding his own torch light to her face. He frowned.

"You." He said, studying her face. Charlotte remembered the man, from one of the last time jumps. Richard Alpert or something. And he still looked the same – she didn't even want to know how that was possible. He reached up, and pulled the gag down from her mouth, letting it hang from about her neck.

"What's your name and how are you still alive?"

"I'm not telling you _anything_ until you tell me how you're still alive. Last time I saw you, you were dragging Daniel out of the tent to disarm your bomb." She stated.

"You mean_ your _bomb. You're from the U.S. Military that brought the bomb here." Richard said, hands on his hips as he looked at her.

"No, I'm not." She said.

"Then you're part of the Dharma Initiative."

Charlotte arched an eyebrow. How in the world would he know that?

"Maybe." She muttered. Going with being part of the DI was probably her best bet.

"What are you doing on our side of the fence then? You're breaking the treaty." He told her. She frowned – what treaty? She had never remembered anything about a treaty. Charlotte just remembered the fence she had used to play around, and the fence that her mother and father always told her to stay away from.

"I got lost." Charlotte said flatly. "I'm new here."

"Bull." He said, an angered look on his face now. "You were here before. I had you tied up in a tent at my camp – now tell me how you're still here and looking the same."

"I could ask the same of you."

"Don't get smart or I will have my people shoot you." He threatened.

"Look buddy, I don't know anything about any treaty. You want the truth? My friends and I have been time traveling because some man by the name of Benjamin Linus turned this wheel or something and sent the Island spinning through time!"

"So you're telling me you're time traveling, and that's why you and your friends disappeared?"

"Yes! And apparently they've gone on and left me, or something, because the last thing I remember is a bright flash of light, and then I woke up in the middle of the jungle where your rope-friendly buddy found me." Charlotte said, pulling at the ropes that tied her hands behind her back. The rope had rubbed the skin around her wrists raw – she could feel it every time she moved her arms.

"She's obviously delusional Alpert. I say we kill her." The man he had called Peter spoke, gripping her arm tighter. Charlotte's heart hammered in her chest. She couldn't die yet, not until she found Daniel. He'd been crying when she'd last seen him above her, and she feared he thought she was dead.

"No, we can't kill her. Not yet. If she's part of the Initiative, then we'll ruin the treaty – not that I have any objections to it." He muttered.

"Hello! Still standing here." Charlotte stated, and he looked at her, seemingly trying to decide what to do with her.

"Bring her back to camp and tie her to the tree near my tent until I decide what to do with her."

Well, at least it was better than death at the moment.

The gag was thrown back in her mouth, but this time a bag was placed over her head. Again being forced to walk, she sighed dejectedly. Hopefully wherever Daniel was, he wasn't stuck in the same situation as her.

X

"Here. You better eat."

Charlotte glanced up from where she had been drawing in the mud with a nearby stick as she sat on the ground, nearly 24 hours later. She'd heard no word since she'd been bound to this tree by the rope attached to her ankle, which the other end was wrapped and tied around the tree. She could have untied it, but she had someone guarding her at all times. It was like they didn't trust her.

But her attention was focused on the woman standing above her, holding out two different fruits for her. Charlotte took them without a word, but the woman remained standing there, watching her.

"You don't have to stand there and stare me down." Charlotte snapped, examining the fruit.

"You don't have to examine our fruit – we wouldn't poison you." The other woman replied just as sharply. "We wouldn't bother – of you're one of them anyway it would be breaking the treaty." She shrugged, and quietly headed off in the other direction.

Sighing, Charlotte sat there and ate her fruit, the jungle heat bearing down upon her. Richard seemed to have been waiting for her to finish eating, because the moment she had taken the last bite of fruit, he approached her from nowhere.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Go? Go where?"

"To your side of the fence. Back to the Barracks, as you call them. We're going to see if they'll claim you as you say they will." He said as he untied her from the tree, and removed the rope from around her ankle, instead moving to bind her wrists. He handed her a pair of what seemed to be earplugs.

"Put these in your ears."

"Why?"

"Because I said so." He said in a serious tone. She placed them in her ears, and when she had lowered her hands, the bag was put back over her head. And then began the familiar trekking halfway across the jungle.

She couldn't hear a thing as they walked, for the earplugs in her ears. It made her wonder why she had been required to wear them, but she didn't say anything, just kept walking as she was led by the elbow.

Soon after, someone tugged her elbow, signaling for her to stop. The hand let go of her elbow and the bag came off her head. She was standing in the center of the Barracks with Richard, who had tossed the bag to the ground. However, the gag remained on her mouth, so she couldn't even talk.

Someone approached them, a man by the name of Horace, according to the name stitched onto his suit. The suit was all too familiar to Charlotte, at least, the design. She'd seen her father and mother both wear them.

She couldn't hear what the two were saying, as the earplugs were still stuck in her ears. But by their actions, they appeared to be arguing. Then a woman emerged from a nearby house, long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and dressed in a blue dharma suit.

Juliet.

If she recognized Charlotte in the dark, she didn't show it, simply spoke something to Horace and to Richard. Richard looked at her, watching for a moment before giving a curt nod. Juliet took Charlotte by the arm and led her away, proceeding to pull the gag out of her mouth and untie her hands. Charlotte reached up and pulled the earplugs from her ears.

"Thanks for that." She muttered.

"No problem Charlotte." Juliet replied. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"Am I?" She inquired. "Well, I'm obviously not. Where's Daniel?"

"Asleep. And you need to understand something – I just told Horace and Richard that you were one of our people, on our ship that crashed here on the Island."

"Ship?"

"Yes. We can't tell them we've been traveling through time now can we?" Juliet said with one of those small smirks. "Come on. I'll get you something to wear – those people brought us some new clothes earlier. Apparently we're working here now." Juliet said, turning and walking back toward the house she had come from. Charlotte silently followed, glancing around. The place was so familiar to her.

"Come on. Sawyer – I mean Jim – is asleep too, so you have to be quiet." She murmured once they had entered, Juliet leading Charlotte up the stairs.

"Jim?"

"James, Jim, whichever. Just don't call him Sawyer." She replied silently once they reached the hall. She motioned for Charlotte to remain standing there, as she disappeared into the bedroom. She didn't want new clothes. She wanted to find Daniel, and tell him she was all right. Tell him that everything would be all right.

But yet, Juliet came back with a dark purple top and a pair of bell-bottomed jeans, pointing silently to the room across the hall. Charlotte understood this as where she could change, and did so promptly before returning back downstairs. The clothes were a bit too large for her, but she'd get over it.

"Where does Daniel live?" She asked as she came down the stairs. Juliet laughed slightly.

"Obsessed?"

"No, but he needs to know I'm alive." Charlotte persisted; frowning as she pulled at the shirt Juliet had given her.

"As I said before he's asleep, but if you must know he's in the house next to this one."

Charlotte was already out the door, into the cool night breeze. Richard and Horace were both gone, so Charlotte silently crept to the house next door, crawling up the front steps. She tried the door and found it unlocked – Daniel really needed to take extra precautions.

The house was completely dark, but she managed to find the stairs and make her way up them without incident. Now just finding the right room was the problem. The first door she tried was the bathroom, and the second a linen closet. The third, she found was the bedroom. She could see Daniel's outline from the moonlight that shone through the open window – he'd fallen asleep, fully clothed on top of his blankets. She shook her head.

Creeping across the room, Charlotte decided it would be best not to wake him up. As quietly as she could, she crawled onto the bed next to him, burying her face in his shoulder. He didn't wake up, but stirred ever so slightly and mumbled something in his sleep.

And she could have sworn it was her name.

XXX

_So never fear, this isn't the only chapter. I'm going to update it soon!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Glad you guys enjoyed! Here's the next chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Lost._

**XXX**

The aroma of breakfast awakened Daniel Faraday, and for a moment, he thought he was back home, and his caretaker was cooking his favorite – scrambled eggs. But as he sat up in bed, he realized the room was unfamiliar – at least until he remembered that he was stuck in the 70's, working for the Dharma Initiative. And Charlotte was dead. Just peachy.

But that still didn't explain why there was the smells of breakfast coming from the kitchen below.

At first, he figured Juliet had come over to fix him breakfast or something, but then he remembered she had said something about being early in to work today because there was a backup of vans needing to be fixed. So it couldn't have possibly been her – and there was no way in hell it was Sawyer. James. Whatever the hell his name was.

Running a hand through his already messy hair, Daniel made his way downstairs with a large yawn. Shuffling into the kitchen, he paused in the doorway.

And had to blink.

Twice.

He reached up and rubbed his eyes for a moment, knowing that seeing Charlotte standing there, in the kitchen, cooking scrambled eggs, had to be a hallucination.

"Good morning Dan." She greeted as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world for her to be standing there. "Sleep well."

'Um, y-yeah." He muttered. "How are you alive?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Not that he wasn't glad she was somehow alive, unless this really was a dream or a hallucination. She smiled slightly at him, raking the eggs onto a plate and handing it to him with a fork.

"I didn't die. You thought I did, but my mind was traveling." She replied. "Or something like that. And when the last flash happened, you disappeared and I was left alone where these Hostiles or something captured me – lead by the same bloke who we saw back in the 50s or whenever it was." She continued, explaining as she sat down at the small dining room table across from him.

"So you're really here?" He asked, staring at her, as if expecting her to disappear at any moment. She grinned, the corners of her lips turning upward as she reached across the table to take his hand, running her fingers gently over the back of his knuckles before giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Yeah. I'm really here."

And he smiled. She was there, in front of him, holding his hand. _His_ Charlotte. He couldn't have been happier right then, knowing she was alive. He didn't care if it screwed with the timeline – he'd do anything to make sure she stayed there, with him, and stuck with him no matter what time period they happened to be stuck in. He gave her hand a small squeeze back and she laughed.

"Eat your eggs Dan – my cooking hasn't kill anyone yet. I'm going to go and talk with Horace to see about getting me a job, since it seems we might be here for a while." She told him, releasing his hand and getting to her feet.

"A-alright." He muttered. He wasn't too keen on letting the woman he loved out of his sight again, but the flashes were gone, so she figured she'd be safe for now.

Charlotte stepped out into the cool, tropical air, bouncing down the steps of the porch as she glanced around, walking along the concrete path. She passed Sawyer and Juliet's house – everything looked so different in the daylight. People were out and milling about, most on their way to jobs and such.

Not watching where she was going, she didn't see the little child dart out in front of her, nearly causing her to trip over the girl. But a hand snatched out and grabbed Charlotte's arm, preventing her from falling.

"Are you alright?" An almost familiar British accent asked. Charlotte looked up at the woman who had caught and steadied her, Charlotte's breath catching in her throat.

"Are you alright?" The woman repeated. Charlotte began to shake her head, but corrected herself and nodded.

"Um, yeah! Sorry." She said, rubbing her head for a moment. This couldn't be happening. She was standing here, in front of her mother.

And she would have bet anything that the little redhead in the green dress that she had nearly just tripped over was herself, at the age of four.

Now her head hurt.

"You're new here on her?" Jeanette said after a moment of looking Charlotte over.

"Yeah. I was just on my way to see Horace for a job or something. You – You wouldn't happen to know where he is would you?" She asked, trying to get away from Jeanette as quickly as possible.

"He's probably talking with his sister Olivia near the school – its where I just saw him." She replied, nodding toward the building.

"Thanks." Charlotte said and made for the direction that Jeanette had nodded to. Shouldn't there be a paradox or something? Daniel had mentioned that being in the same time as one of your past selves or something could be harmful. She wished she'd paid more attention on the Freighter. She reminded herself to ask him later.

"Uh, Horace?" She called, reaching the building. The building was dark, and she peered in one of the windows to see if anyone was there.

"Who's calling?"

Charlotte jumped as the man came out from the side of the building, looking around. His gaze landed on her.

"What can I do for you Miss?"

"Its Charlotte. And I need a job."

"Well, you'll have to take the test then, to decide where we can place you." He said, walking toward her. "You can come by tomorrow and take it if you want." He offered and she nodded. "You'll probably fit right in with everyone here."

Charlotte smirked slightly – he had no idea she was already a good fit. As a four year old, that was.

**XXX**

**Three Years Later**

So she hadn't gotten on the submarine. None of them had. She'd been this close, but she hadn't left. She couldn't do it. Something was making her stay, but she didn't know what. Part of it was her younger self, yes, but it was mostly because Daniel was staying. And she wasn't leaving him.

Charlotte leaned against the side of the railing, looking out at the horizon as the sunset. The ferry was carrying her from the Hydra Island, back to the mainland, where she'd walk until she reached the Barracks. She'd been assigned to work at the Hydra – ironically enough – about three years ago. She'd been especially excited when they told her she'd be helping look after the _polar bears_.

It took a bit for the boat to dock, and she disembarked, along with the other workers from the station that were being ferried. A new batch was coming down the docks, getting ready to load themselves onto the boat – part of the night crew that stayed on Hydra Island until the next shift (including herself) arrived the next morning. The animals there demanded 24-hour care.

She walked along the dirt path that lead from the docks to the Barracks, hands stuffed into the pockets of her Dharma jumpsuit. Thankfully, she's gotten one of the ones that had shorts instead of a full pants suit, so she wouldn't end up dying in the heat.

As she came upon the Barracks, she noticed most were gathered in the center of the area, already beginning to hang the posters and banners for the new recruits coming in tomorrow. She spotted Miles among them, not looking too happy about being forced to hang them. But security had been so quiet recently – save for those nights when Horace would wander off drunkenly – that there was really only need for Sawyer to be working.

She gave him an almost teasing smile when he glanced her way as she passed. He just rolled his eyes and tried not to topple off the ladder he was precariously balanced on. Charlotte just continued on, bouncing up the porch steps and walking through the front door – which was nowadays, always kept unlocked.

Daniel wasn't home yet, so she headed upstairs to change. Tonight they were supposed to be going to some outdoor dinner thing, in honor of bringing in new recruits. They did it every time, so she was pretty used to it by now.

Her shirt was halfway over her head when she heard the front door open and close, so she hurriedly finished changing and went back downstairs, just in time to see Daniel flop down on the couch, looking rather exhausted. She frowned – he was just working at the Orchid. What could they possibly have him doing that made him look so tired?

"Hey. Bad day?" She asked, sitting on the couch with him and cradling his head in her lap, running her fingers through his hair. He sighed, giving her a small smile as he stared at the ceiling.

"A bit, yeah."

"Do you just want to sleep then instead of going to that dinner thing tonight?" She offered after a moment. He frowned, obviously having forgotten it.

"Uh – do we really have to go?"

"Well, you know I have to. But you don't. You can stay home and sleep."

He sighed and shifted slightly, shutting his eyes for a moment. Charlotte thought he had fallen asleep, until he spoke again.

"I'll go."

"Are you sure?"

"Y-yeah."

So that was how Charlotte wound up sitting at a picnic table between Daniel – who was already beginning to doze, his head resting against the table – and Juliet, who was talking with her 'husband'. They sat together with Jin and Miles at the table, both of who were watching some of the other in the Dharma Initiative dance at the stone circle near the gazebo. That parties were usually like this, with some alcohol they pulled out of storage – Horace normally drank half the bottles before anyone else had a chance to get any. Charlotte found it a miracle that Amy had stayed with him this long, especially with her being pregnant.

"Something wrong Charlotte?"

She jumped, pulled from her thoughts as Juliet said her name. She glanced at the blonde, who had up until a few seconds ago giving full detail on how she had delivered Amy's baby earlier that day.

"Oh, no. I'm fine. Just thinking." She sighed. Juliet frowned.

"You seem depressed."

"Its nothing, really." She assured, lying through her pearly whites. She hated that she was so readable when something was wrong. Charlotte's mind had wandered off for the time being, thinking of the date a few years from now. Everyone standing here, laughing and dancing and having a fun time would be dead. All wiped out, because of what they called the Purge.

The walkie next to Juliet's hand crackled to life suddenly.

"Hey Lady Lefleur. Faraday there with you?" The voice on the other end asked. Juliet picked it up, glancing at Charlotte and Daniel.

"Which one?"

"Charlotte."

"Yeah, why?"

"Tell her we need her at the Hydra Station, and now. The bears are going nuts!"

Juliet looked to Charlotte, passing her the walkie. Sighing, she spoke into it.

"I'll be there in a minute."

She handed the walkie back to Juliet and got to her feet.

"Make sure he makes it back to the house for me." She said to Juliet, nodding toward Daniel who was fully asleep now, face down on the table. Juliet nodded, and Charlotte took off at a quick jog down the path, disappearing into the darkness.

**XXX**

_Hope you enjoyed – not much action, but it gets better! Promise!_


	3. Chapter 3

_"They're what?"_

_"Pretending to be married. Or together. Whatever. Sawyer's idea." Charlotte shrugged, twisting the cap off the bottle of water as she sat with Daniel at one of the tables in the 'cafeteria' of the Barracks, eating lunch before she had to ship back out to the Hydra, and he had to return to the Orchid. _

_"Really? Why?" Daniel frowned._

_"He said something about it being more realistic or something." She said, picking at the grilled cheese on her plate. She wasn't really that hungry. Daniel had gone silent again, munching on his own sandwich for the moment._

_"Maybe we should do the same." She suggested after a moment of silence. He nearly choked on his food, and she snorted._

_"Smooth Dan."_

**X**

Charlotte was royally pissed.

"Get the goddamn tranquilizers!" She snapped at the nearest worker, who instantly ran off to fulfill her order. Charlotte stood a few steps away from the polar bear's cage. The bear was running in circles, and would every once in a while throw itself up against the cage wall in an attempt to get out.

The worker from before returned with a gun, and the tranquilizers she had asked for. She loaded them in, and put the barrel of the gun between the bars, aiming at the bear before firing it. It was tougher in the dark, but she saw the outline of the bear collapse to the ground. She tossed the gun back to the worker and took the keys from her pocket, unlocking the cage.

"Faraday, I don't think you should go in there." Another one of the workers, Peter said to her. She glanced at him.

"Well, when you're leader of this station you can tell me what to do." She growled, kneeling next to the bear, who's breathing had slowed. She moved to check over it, when its head suddenly turned, teeth snapping at her. She drew back, but the teeth clipped her arm.

Apparently, the tranquilizer didn't work, because the next thing she knew, it was up, trampling over her feet and running out the door – which she had stupidly left unlocked and wide open. Cursing herself under her breath, she scrambled to her feet and grabbed the gun roughly from the worker, aimed, fired again, and missed.

"Bloody _hell_." She hissed between clenched teeth, resting her back against the cage. "Peter, go get Evan and Kyle. Load up on tranquilizer darts and guns, as well as flashlights, and track that bear down."

"Yes ma'am." He muttered and darted off into the dark. Charlotte looked down at the tear in her suit, and the blood that tinged the edges. Stupid bear. She locked the cage door back, and moved across to the other cage, where the two other bears lay, sleeping. She watched them for a moment, the male growling slightly at her presence near the female bear, who Charlotte knew was pregnant. It was the first successful animal pregnancy so far, or so she had been told.

"Don't you get out of whack too." She muttered to the bears, and headed off down the path, around the aviary. She used her flashlight to see along the path. Brightly colored birds twittered and sang and fluttered around the large enclosed area as she walked by, heading for the docks again. Her shift was almost over and she needed sleep, but she'd have to leave her walkie on in case they couldn't catch the bear.

By the time she reached the Barracks, most of everyone had gone inside, done with the dancing and the partying. She quietly crept across the yards, back into her own house, where she was not surprised to find Daniel passed out on the couch, still fully dressed.

Shaking her head and yawning, she removed his shoes and tossed the blanket on the back of the couch over him, not having the heart to wake him up. She headed upstairs to bed soon after.

**XXX**

_"Daniel, do you think we'll ever get back to our own time?"_

_Daniel looked up, surprised by Charlotte's voice as they sat on the docks, feet hanging over the side. Charlotte had just returned on the ferry from her first day of work, and Daniel had been sitting there, waiting for her. She'd joined him, and they'd been sitting there for a good twenty minutes now, just staring at the water below. _

_"I-I suppose we will." He said after a moment, speaking very quietly._

_"I've been thinking about it Daniel – and we need to get off this Island." She said, swinging her feet, toes trailing against the surface of the water. He looked at her. Was she serious? They had nothing to go back to off the Island – most of the other survivors, and himself included, were under the age of ten._

_"Why, Charlotte? Why leave?"_

_"Daniel, 15 years from now, we'll all die if we don't get off this Island. 15 years from now, a younger Benjamin Linus will poison the entire Island, and cause something called the Purge."_

_He looked at her, noting the serious tone in her voice. She looked at him very carefully, guarding her emotion about the entire thing._

_"How do you know that Charlotte?"_

_"I've researched Dan. And I've heard stories, back in our time." She replied quietly. "But before then, we need to leave."_

_"We will Charlotte. I won't let anything happen to you." He whispered. She smiled and kissed his cheek._

**XXX**

Daniel and Charlotte had taken a habit of walking around the Barracks at night, along all the little concrete paths, where they would eventually end up near the gazebo, and sit and talk for another hour before heading inside for a bit of sleep before they had to get up again.

The sun had just set when they began their walk. They didn't talk, and the only sounds were those of the few stragglers still outside. Charlotte's hand felt abnormally cool in his hand, but he figured she was just chilly.

How wrong he would be in a few moments.

Beside him, she suddenly stopped, her hand dropping from his. Frowning, Daniel turned to look at her. Her eyes locked onto his, and on her face she looked almost sick, the fear rolling off her in waves. And then, without warning, she collapsed, her knees buckling and her body falling like a broken toy. He moved quickly, trying to catch her before she hit the grass, but she hit the ground like a lead brick.

"Charlotte!"

His hand came up to rest at her cheek, running along the pale, freckled skin for a moment until he realized people had come outside, and we watching. Daniel frowned, but knw they had to get Charlotte to a hospital or something before something happened.

Something bad.

**XXX**

_Short chapter, and I leave you with a cliffy. Sorry!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Sorry the last chapter was so short! I hope this makes up for it completely! Enjoy!_

XXX

Why he had to sit outside and wait, he didn't know. But Juliet had made him remain outside – probably because he would get in the way. He had all but hovered the entire time Sawyer had carried Charlotte to the infirmary, and now was waiting as patiently as he could for news on her. He was worried, and he had a good reason to be. After she had collapsed, she began mumbling things – most he barely understood, but he heard his name a few times.

It was very early in the morning when Juliet finally came out of the infirmary, looking just about as tired as Daniel – both had been up all night. One waiting for news, and one saving a life.

"How is she?" Daniel instantly said the moment he spotted her. She smiled ever so slightly.

"As far as I can tell, she's going to fine. For a while at least." Juliet told him, and he felt his entire body relax at the statement. "She's sleeping now, but you can go in and stay with her for a while. I'm going to go and see if I can get a bit of sleep – I'll be back soon to check on her." Juliet continued. Daniel had the strange feeling she wasn't telling him something, but he nodded and got to his feet, scuffling into the infirmary.

He spotted her at the end of the small row of beds, her head turned away from him as she slept on, completely unaware of him standing there. He walked to her bedside, gently brushing a few stray curls of red hair from her face, which was paler than normal. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, he sighed – he was still worried about what had happened to her. People just didn't pass out for any old reason. She had to be sick or something – he just hoped to God that it wasn't the time flashes again.

The next day, the leader of the Orchid station gave him the day off because of Charlotte. So he slept a bit later than normal before waking up, getting dressed, and heading over to the infirmary. When he got there, Juliet was there, looking severely tense as she checked over Charlotte.

"Something wrong Juliet?" He asked her quietly. She jumped, having not heard him come in. She glanced up and gave him a weak smile.

"Not really, but I'll be fine." She said.

"Oh, okay." He muttered awkwardly, standing there as he watched her.

"They're back." She said after a moment. He frowned.

"Who?"

"Them. Jack, Kate, Hurley." She told him, peeling off her gloves as she stood up straight. "But no word on Sun, Locke, or Ben." Juliet continued. Daniel's lips formed a silent 'O'.

"So that means our cover here is blown?"

"No. Jim's coming up with something. He always does." She said faintly. "Let me know if she wakes up, and I'll be back to check in her in a bit."

Daniel waited for a moment until after she closed the door, before speaking.

"I know you're awake."

Charlotte's eyes snapped open, and she frowned. "How'd you know?"

"You cracked one of your eyes open when Juliet wasn't looking." He said with the faintest hint of a smile. He sat down on the edge of the bed, running his fingers over the backs of her knuckles gently for a moment, hearing her heavily sigh.

"So did I miss anything while I was passed out?" She asked after a moment, her voice slightly hoarse, and softer than normal.

"Well, Juliet just told me that Jack, Kate, and Hurley are back." Daniel replied with a small shrug. "And they caught the polar bear that escaped. Otherwise, nothing much else."

"What about the others? Locke and them?"

"I don't know. She didn't say anything about them. And I think the three that are here, might be joining our little Dharma family soon."

Charlotte muttered something under her breath that he couldn't understand, sitting up and resting her back against the wall. She looked away from him, staring at the wall. He could tell she was thinking, just what of, he didn't know.

"Daniel! I told you to tell me if she woke up!" Juliet said, suddenly coming back through the doors. "I came back to grab something I forgot." She added, explaining her presence there. "Daniel, would you mind giving us a bit? I need to talk to Charlotte." She said. Daniel glanced at Charlotte, who nodding, confirming it was all right. He left the infirmary, stepping back outside.

As he did, a blue van pulled up. Surprisingly, Kate, Jack, and Hurley stepped out, with Sawyer climbing out the driver's side. He spotted Daniel.

"Danny-boy, how about you show our new recruits to the orientation area so they can get some jobs?" He asked. Daniel glanced back at the infirmary, but nodded.

"H-Hi." He greeted the three as if he hadn't seen them before, sticking out his hand to shake. "I'm Daniel Faraday, and I work at the Orchid. My wife, Charlotte, is sick right now, otherwise I'd introduce you – she works over at the Orchid." He said, shaking each of their hands. "If you'll three follow me I'll take you to orientation." He started off and they followed.

"Sorry to uh, here your wife is sick dude. What's wrong with her?" Hurley asked.

"I-I don't know, actually. She was submitted to the infirmary earlier." Daniel muttered. "And I'm supposed to tell you that you three are invited to dinner tonight at Jim's house, which is just over there." He pointed to the house on their left. "But here is where you'll receive your jobs and such, and I, uh, hope to see you late tonight I guess."

"Thank you Daniel." Jack nodded toward him, and stepped inside the building Daniel had led them to. Daniel attempted a weak smile before heading back toward the infirmary, where Juliet was stepping out, a rather bright – almost fake – smile on her face. She looked considerably happier than when he had last seen her, which was usually a good sign.

Usually.

"You can go back in now Daniel. I've checked her over, and she should be able to go home sometime tonight at the earliest. If she passes out again though, I want you to come get me, all right?"

"Uh, sure." He nodded and bounded up the steps, heading through the door. Charlotte was still sitting up in bed, and her attention was focused on the opposite wall. However, she did look up, as Daniel grew closer. She flashed him a brief smile as he kissed her forehead, gently brushing hair from her face. He noticed she seemed spaced out, almost as if she weren't even paying attention to him.

"How do you feel? Better?" He asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Better than I was. Now I just kind of feel tired." She said, and stifled a yawn.

"Juliet says you'll be out of here tonight, so you'll be able to sleep in your own bed." He smiled slightly and she nodded, seeming to zone out again. They sat there in silence for a moment, until she spoke again.

"I'm leaving Daniel."

"W-what?" Daniel asked, thinking he hadn't heard her correctly. She looked at him, and he noticed her eyes were sparkling with held back tears.

"I have to leave Daniel. I have to get off the Island. Juliet said so – she's getting me a ride on the sub when it leaves in a few days."

"We can't leave Charlotte. There's nothing out there in this year for us. It's 1977." He said.

"You don't have to leave Daniel. You have to stay here, and help the others. But promise me something – you'll leave before the Purge happens." She said, resting her hands on his shoulders.

"Charlotte, you can't leave. Not without me."

"There's only space on the sub for one more person, and Juliet is already trying to get that space for me." She stated firmly. "You can't come Daniel, and if you understood why I had to leave, then you'd let me." She whispered fiercely.

"Then why Charlotte? Why would you leave, after everything?"

"I-." She began, but at that moment, the door flew open and Miles came barreling in.

"I hate to interrupt, but you should come see this Dan." He said in a serious tone. Daniel frowned.

"I'll be right back." He murmured to Charlotte, who nodded, distracted again as Daniel got up and followed Miles outside.

A second blue van had pulled up, and Sawyer, Phil, and Horace stepped out, dragging between them a familiar, dark skinned face. Sayid.

"What happened?" Daniel asked Miles, looking over at him.

"Apparently they think he's a Hostile." Miles muttered. Sawyer cast a glance at them, and then jerked his head for Miles to follow. Daniel headed back inside, shaking his head. Sayid wasn't a Hostile. But right now, that wasn't his problem.

"What were you saying Charlotte?" He asked as he approached again. She was kneading the blanket she's tossed aside between her hands, almost nervously.

"I'm leaving Dan. I'm sorry, but I have to. Juliet said I would probably die if I didn't."

"What's wrong with you Charlotte? Juliet – she hasn't told me any of this."

"I know, because she wanted me to tell you." Charlotte murmured, pulling at a strand of hair. He'd picked up on the habit she's taken to – she only did it when she was lying, nervous, or both. Which in turn, made him worry.

"Please Charlotte, I want you to get better. I want to fix it so you don't have to leave and you won't die if you stay." He said with a small bit of plea in her voice.

"Daniel, you've got to swear to me you won't let it slip to anyone. I want to keep it between the three of us, because I don't know for sure or not. But Juliet thinks I might be pregnant, and if I am, then I could die. The pregnancy problems on the Island – they started around this time for some unknown reason, and she says even if I'm not, it would be a good idea to get me out of here, just in case." Charlotte said quietly, not looking at him.

Daniel blinked at her, taking in what she had just said with a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry Daniel." She whispered suddenly, voice cracking.

"No, no, no. Don't be sorry Char." He said instantly, almost as an instinct as he kissed her forehead again. He leaned forward against his chest, and his arms encircled her, pulling her against him in a tight hug.

"If-If you have to leave, then go back to Oxford. 2318 Kings Crossing Road. You'll find my mother there – she'll take care of you. If she's not too busy with my, uh, younger self."

Charlotte smiled and leaned up to look at him. "I'll be fine Dan. I don't even want to leave – not without you."

"I'll keep you safe Charlotte – I promised I would. And if you have to leave for that to happen, well then, so be it."

XXX

The sub was leaving the next day, and Charlotte found herself out on the docks. She'd been released last night, and barely had been able to get any sleep. But now, as she stood there, she was regretting her decision on leaving. She wanted to say screw it all, and just stay, but she knew if she really was pregnant, and ended up staying on the Island, she'd die. But Juliet had mentioned that the problems had started sometime around this year. It didn't mean it had to affect her.

People shifted by her, carrying several bags and crates out to the submarine at the end of the dock, lowering them down into it. Dressed in civilian clothes, Charlotte would soon be joining the few people that were already beginning to board.

Sighing, she pulled her hair back out of her face and turned when she heard the familiar gait coming down the docks. Daniel had a look of sorrow on his face, and Charlotte knew she was going to miss him. So much. She wanted him to come, and it broke her heart that after all he had done to save her life, that she was being forced to leave. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his neck, trying very hard not to cry. Normally she wouldn't have a problem, but being with Daniel so long had completely shattered her hard, outer shell that most people had problems getting past.

"Be careful, all right? I'll be back as soon as I can." Charlotte murmured, pulling away to look at him. He nodded. "I'll write as much as I can – Peter promised to come see me every time the sub docked and get any letters I write to you." She continued. He rested his hands on her shoulders, looking at her.

"I love you Charlotte." He told her and she smiled, the sparkling sheen coming back to her eyes.

"I love you too Daniel." She whispered, and leaned forward to kiss him. It lasted for a bit, until she suddenly pulled away, letting go of his hand, and darted down the dock toward the submarine, not looking back.

XXX

_A/N: It's not over! And I promise, Charlotte will be back soon! Next chapter will probably be her off island, then her decision about whether she wants to stay or not!_


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I didn't want to keep this update long away, because I love this story so much. But thanks so much for all your reviews, and enjoy this chapter!

XXX

She'd been off the island two weeks. Away from Daniel for two weeks, four days, sixteen hours, ten minutes, and seven seconds. She could still feel his lips against her own, but knew they weren't there, and tried to get herself to stop imagining it. Every time she did imagine him there with her, she'd end up sick to her stomach or end up crying again.

Stepping out of the cab, she pulled at the short-sleeved shirt she had changed into, back at the hotel she was currently staying. The thing was purple, her least favorite color, but it had been the first thing she had grabbed out of the clothes Juliet had grabbed for her.

Charlotte's heels clicked against the stone as she walked up the concrete path that led up to the off-white, rather large house. It was one in a row of other larger houses, rather identical to the other. She glanced at the number on the mailbox as she passed it, and continued on, confirming that this indeed was the right house. If that wasn't the giveaway, then the chalk writings of several math equations on the sidewalk path leading to the porch were. There were two distinct sets of problems – one an easier set, like two plus two written in barely legible scrawl, and the other, a set of complicated ones including variables in a curly, rather fancy handwriting.

Yup. This was the right place.

Sighing, she hesitated before pressing the doorbell.

There were footsteps on the other side of door and then it was pulled open by a woman about Charlotte's age, with dishwater blonde hair and dark brown eyes. She looked almost irritated at something, but she frowned when she saw Charlotte.

"Can I help you?"

"Are you Eloise Hawking?" The redhead asked.

"Yeah, that's me. Do I know you?"

"My name is Charlotte Lewis. I believe we've met once before."

Eloise stared her down for a moment, looking her over.

"You look familiar."

"Does the name Richard Alpert mean anything to you?" Charlotte asked. Eloise's face went completely pale and she glanced around.

"I suggest you come in now, Miss. Lewis."

Eloise led her inside, shutting and locking the door behind him. Charlotte was led into a large, very open living room with high windows that faced the backyard, where in the distance she could see a glittering lake, sunlight reflecting off the surface. Eloise gestured for her to sit down, taking the seat opposite of Charlotte.

"Now you're going to tell me just how you know Richard Alpert, and how you know who I am, Miss. Lewis."

"It's Charlotte, and I know Richard Alpert because I was his captive once – and yours." She spoke, hands folded politely in her lap. Eloise stared her down again.

"You're that redhead. The one we had in the fifties. Part of the U.S Army." She said finally, leaning back against the couch. "You look exactly the same."

"For me, it's only been three years." Charlotte confirmed. "Your son sent me here to find you."

"My son? Daniel? He's eight years old, and never been to that Island, Charlotte." Eloise spoke.

"In the future. He'll go to that Island, and he'll save my life. You'll capture him, unknowingly, and you'll hold a gun to his head and threaten him so he'll disarm a bomb. He'll confess his love for me in front of you and Richard Alpert so that you'll trust him." Charlotte recited carefully. "Do I need to keep going or do you realize who he is now?"

"He was the dark haired one with you? The one you said was your leader? How'd he end up in the fifties?"

"That's information I think I'll keep to myself. But the fact is, I just got off that Island, and he told me to come here, to you."

"Why?"

"Because I'm –." She began, but was cut off by the front door opening and slamming closed. Eloise looked at Charlotte, and then glanced at the entryway to the living room, waiting for something – or some_one_.

Charlotte hadn't expected the ruffled, dark haired boy with the dark blue backpack that came tramping through the entryway. It took her a moment to recognize the dark brown eyes she'd stared into so many times. His features were all the same, just reduced to a size that fit an eight-year-old.

"Hello Daniel. How was school?" Eloise asked her son, getting to her feet as Daniel dropped his backpack off his back, setting it at his feet. He glanced at Charlotte before looking at his mother.

"Boring. I answered all the problems in science class right though and got a gold star!" He grinned broadly, proud of his accomplishment. Charlotte smiled, almost fondly. Younger Daniel was rather cute.

"That's awesome Dan. Why don't you go put your books up and then I'll make you a sandwich or something until dinner, all right?" Eloise asked and her son nodded, bounding up the stairs to the left. Eloise turned her attention back to Charlotte.

"I'm not understanding a lot of this." She said finally. Charlotte looked at her, narrowing her eyes.

"Don't lie to me. I know you know about time travel, you conniving woman." Charlotte said suddenly, a growl to her voice. "So don't mess with me – don't forget I know your son, and he's told me quiet a few things about time travel, and constants, and all that nonsense."

"Its not nonsense." Eloise said coldly. "Now I think its time for you to leave."

"Not yet. I have something to give your son." Charlotte said as she heard the boy coming back down the stairs. "Alone."

Eloise stared at her for a moment, but got up just as Daniel landed on the last stair.

"Dan, this is Charlotte. She wants to talk to you and has something for you. I'm going to go make your sandwich." She said, and disappeared down the hall. Charlotte got to her feet, approaching Daniel and kneeling down to his level.

"Hi Dan."

"Hi."

She reached down in her purse, and pulled out a black leather book, its pages completely empty. "This is for you. A friend of mine gave this to me, to give to you. You can write all kinds of stuff in it. Like the results of your gravity experiments."

"How'd you know about those?!" He whispered and clutched the book to his chest, glancing nervously toward the kitchen.

"I just know. And now, I want you to do me a favor, okay?" She asked, and he nodded. "I want you to keep up your work doing good in science in math. You're better than you know Daniel, and you can do so much with that brain of yours. All right?"

He grinned and nodded again.

"Thanks for the book."

"You're welcome." She smiled and got to her feet, ruffling his hair fondly. "But I've got to go now – I'll show myself out. Tell your mother I said that if she ever needs to tell me something, I'll be around."

He nodded for a third time and headed off in the direction of the kitchen, calling for his mother just as Charlotte slipped out the front door.

She paused when she reached the sidewalk and glanced back at the house, then at the chalk on the ground. Making sure no one was looking, she picked up the chalk and wrote something very quickly across the concrete before dropping the white stick, dusting her hands off, and heading down the sidewalk again, past the other houses on the street.

XXX

Daniel sighed and lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling for a moment until he suddenly reached for his bag, pulling out his weathered black journal, the same one the beautiful redheaded woman who's name he couldn't remember gave to him a long time ago. He flipped open to the first page, at his eight-year-old scrawl, at the words written across the page. He'd remembered going outside the same day he received the journal to find it written on the sideway.

_If anything happens, Charlotte Lewis is my constant._

Which just made him think of Charlotte even more. She'd been gone for two weeks, and he realized he needed to get over it, and get a grip. She'd be back, once she was out of the all-clear zone. If she wasn't pregnant, she could come home sooner, which was what he was hoping. Then again, if she was, what was a bit longer time to wait when she would return with _his_ child. _His and Charlotte's_.

He already couldn't wait.

Setting his journal back on the table, he got to his feet and trudged up the stairs toward bed, stifling a heavy yawn.

XXX

_A/N: Another short chapter, but the next one should be longer – I hope! Also, I'm taking a vote. Do you think Charlotte should come back with a baby or no? If so, do you think it should be a boy or girl? I'm leaving it up to you all to decide!_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Woo new chapter already! Thanks so much for the reviews! Enjoy!_

**XXX**

**One Year Later**

Not much had changed around the Barracks in the year that had passed. Sayid had escaped – no one had heard from him since. Ben, after being taking by Hostiles – or so the story went – had returned, and seemed more cold-hearted. More cruel than he had been before leaving.

Not that it bothered Daniel any.

He'd been working hard in the Orchid – they were close to a breakthrough. Well, the others were. Daniel was still trying to find a way back to their own time. After nearly four years, living with the Dharma Initiative was getting a bit old. He had fallen into a routine, and right now, he was on the part of the routine where he rode with the other workers back to the Barracks.

When he stepped out of the van, he noticed Juliet taking with Jim not far off. Juliet glanced at Daniel, smiled, and turned away, quickly scurrying off toward the motor pool. Jim headed the opposite way. Obviously, something was going on – and Daniel wasn't in on it.

Frowning, he headed across the Barracks, alone, back toward his house, where he still lived, alone. Sighing, he leaned against the porch railing for a moment, taking a breath of fresh tropical air. He wondered where Charlotte was at that moment, and if she was thinking of him. Thinking still, he opened the front door.

Apparently, she was in his living room.

Her face brightened, a large smile spreading across her lips as she leapt off the couch and launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his chest.

"I've missed you so much!" She cried, hanging tightly to him, as if afraid he might some how get away from her if she let go. Daniel rested his hand at the base of her neck for a moment before pulling her into a kiss.

"I've missed you too. I thought you were never coming back!" He said and she laughed, hugging him again.

"I haven't missed anything have I?" She asked, shutting the front door with her foot. Even if it was in the wrong timeline, it felt good to be back home.

"Loads." He teased. He hadn't smiled so much in a long time, and he was sure she hadn't either.

"Really now? Well, you'll have to fill me in."

"How long have you been back?"

"About three hours. I've been waiting for you to get home because I didn't want to mess with your work." She replied.

"Are you – are you feeling better than you were?" He asked after a moment's silence and she nodded.

"Much better now that I'm back." She said. "C'mon. You should get some sleep. I brought you back something from the mainland, but that can wait until tomorrow." She promised.

"Promise you won't leave?"

"Promise." She said and pulled him up the stairs, into their bedroom. Daniel changed out of his jumpsuit and Charlotte instantly flopped down on the bed, waiting for him to lay down so she could curl up next to him.

"I talked to your mother." She said after a moment, her voice muffled from where she had her face buried in his arm. "And gave your eight-year-old self a journal."

"So you're the redhead I remember?" He asked and she nodded.

"And the one who told you I would be your constant." She continued. "Your mother isn't a nice person either, no offense." Charlotte said and he laughed.

"Yeah, well, she's never been the kindest person in the world. But there's worse." He replied. They fell silent for a moment, and it took Daniel a moment to realize that Charlotte had fallen asleep, her steady breathing the only sound he could hear. His eyes shut, and he soon fell asleep as well.

Daniel woke up hours later to light filtering through the window. He yawned and stretched, glancing over.

But Charlotte wasn't there.

Frowning and panicking slightly, thinking yesterday had all been a dream; he quickly changed and headed downstairs. No Charlotte. He headed out the door – Dharma Ville was in full swing, in its normal morning routine. He still didn't spot the crop of red hair that he had missed so much. Then he saw Juliet, talking with someone laying in one of the hammocks near the gazebo – he relaxed when he saw it was Charlotte, rocking herself back and forth with her bare foot. He wondered why she wasn't working – weren't they supposed to go right back to work when they returned? It was how it had been every time someone had gone off Island.

"Hey Dan. About time you woke up." Juliet greeted with a friendly smile, looking over some papers in her hand that Charlotte had just handed her.

"Have Evans take that to the Hydra station when you get the chance, Juliet, please." Charlotte said, and then smiled when she saw Dan. "Morning Daniel."

"Morning Ch –!"

He nearly stumbled and tripped when he grew close enough to her. Close enough to see the little wriggling blanket in her arms. Charlotte and Juliet both laughed, Juliet's fading as she headed off with Charlotte's papers.

"Told you I had something for you. I had Juliet watch her last night for us so we could have alone time." Charlotte explained, stopping her rocking long enough for Daniel to sit down on the edge of the hammock – carefully, as he didn't want to end up throwing her out. Charlotte sat up with a bit of difficulty, and settled next to him, pulling the pink blanket off her baby's head.

"Juliet was right. She said it's probably why I ended up passing out a while ago – at least it wasn't time travel sickness." She murmured, watching the baby sleep. Daniel was just at a loss for words, his throat dry as he glanced between her and the baby. After a moment, he found his voice.

"What's its name?"

"_She_ doesn't have one yet. I wanted _you_ to name her." Charlotte said, looking at Daniel with a small smile. And before he knew it, Charlotte was passing the baby off into his arms, and then laying back into the hammock.

"You make a cute dad." She observed with a smirk, reaching over to grab her iced tea off the little table next to the hammock, taking a drink. Daniel was too occupied trying to hold the baby right to focus on anything else. Her eyes flickered open, and he found they were the exact shade of blue as Charlotte's eyes, yet he could distinctly see the dark curls already growing in.

"Too bad they don't have digital cameras in this era. I'd take a picture and send it to your colleagues back at Oxford who said you'd never be worth a damn." She muttered almost bitterly. "Bunch of bloody liars they are, aren't they?"

"Mhm." He muttered, still not paying much attention.

"Dan, do you have to work today?" She asked after a moment, picking up a stack of papers from the small table her iced tea had been sitting on, pulling the pen from behind her ear.

"I – Maybe?"

Charlotte laughed, shaking her head as she signed several of the papers. "I don't want you to get you in trouble."

"I'm sure they could give me time off for this Charlotte." He stated quietly. "You never told me how things went off the Island."

"Well, I visited your mother about two weeks after the sub docked. Already told you what I did then. And then, I found out Juliet was right – that I was pregnant. So I had to stay away even longer than I planned. I didn't do much else – I do admit your mother called me once, about three weeks before the baby was due. Told me that if I knew anything about the Dharma Initiative or how to find the Island again I was supposed to tell her – but I didn't." She said, pulling at a frayed end of her shirt with a sigh. "And I have to say, your eight-year-old self is rather cute." She added with a grin.

"Eloise." He said suddenly, and her gaze flickered to him.

"Hm?"

"Elizabeth Eloise Faraday." He said, looking at Charlotte, who smiled.

"Sounds perfect to me." She said, sitting up again. "It's a pretty name." Daniel nodded, looking down at the newly named baby, who was yawning widely, and about to fall asleep again. Charlotte said up, leaning against Daniel's shoulder, looking at her fondly.

"Well looks like what I heard Juliet telling Jim was true. You and genius got busy." Miles said, approaching. Charlotte threw him a glare, but didn't say anything.

"What? With as much as I've put up with you two, I don't get to be uncle or something?" He asked and Charlotte actually laughed.

"I suppose, considering we don't know how much longer we'll be here." She said after a moment, brushing hair out of her face.

However, their conversation was interrupted by the loud, familiar sirens that echoed throughout the entire Barracks. Miles pulled the gun around that had been hanging off his back, turning toward the trees.

"C'mon Dan. Get inside. Now." Charlotte said forcefully, pulling him up off the hammock, and toward their house in the distance. With the startling noise of the sirens, the baby had woken up, and was now starting to yell her little lungs out. Charlotte found it difficult to believe that such a small thing could scream so much.

As they darted inside the house, Charlotte slammed and locked the door, turning toward Daniel, who was trying his best to keep from freaking out with the crying baby in his hands. Charlotte took Elizabeth away from him, rocking her gently and in attempt.

"You dealt with this off island a lot?" Daniel called over the sounds of the sirens – which were still going off.

"Yes." She replied, relaxing slightly when at least her crying stopped. But she was still tense over the sirens – why would the hostiles be attacking now? They hadn't done anything – at least, not this time. She'd forgotten about all the Hostiles attacking.

Maybe coming back to the Island hadn't been a good idea.

**XXX**


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Sorry, I've been on spring break, so I've not been home to update! But now I am, so here is the next chapter! Enjoy!_

**XXX**

"So has anyone decided just what we're going to do about being stuck in 1979? I mean, Sun is still out there somewhere." Jack said as he, Kate, Hurley, Miles, Jin, Juliet, Sawyer, and Daniel sat around one of the picnic tables one afternoon, several months later, after everyone had gotten off work. Charlotte had taken up residence in one of the hammocks not far off again, dozing, with the dark haired baby sitting happily in her lap.

One by one, they all looked at Daniel, as if expecting him to have some sort of answer. He frowned, looking down at the table.

"Uh, I'm working on that. Right. So far, I have – uh, absolutely nothing." He said finally, running a hand messily through his hair. Truth was, he hadn't been thinking at all about it. Not since Charlotte had returned – he'd been focused on her and the baby.

"So – what are we going to do dudes?" Hurley asked, looking around at all of them.

"I-I don't know." Daniel sighed, shaking his head. He probably wasn't helping matters.

"What if we moved the Island again?" Kate suggested. Daniel frowned – it was possible, but he didn't want to risk it. Not again.

"Who would we get to move it though?" Jack countered.

"Would y'all mind keeping your voices down? I don't want the others to think we're all on crack or something." Sawyer muttered, glancing around at the passing workers, who all seemed to be paying them no attention. He was apparently just paranoid.

"Moving the island again – not a bad plan except that you have no idea what time it'll move to again." Charlotte stated, eyes still closed as she shifted in the hammock. They all looked at her. "We could all take turns and eventually we're sure to end up somewhere in the right general time period."

"Just so nice since she got back isn't she?" Juliet muttered/

"Don't make me come over there."

"Charlotte." Daniel sighed.

"What Dan?"

"Please be nice."

"Why start now?" She muttered, and snapped her eyes open to look at him. '

"Please? For me?"

Charlotte muttered something inaudible, but turned away from him and drifted back off into her own little sleep. Daniel turned back to the others, who were talking quietly.

"What if we just stay here? We've had such good lives here." Juliet was saying.

"But we belong in a different time Juliet." Jack replied.

"And what about Sun?" Jin added.

"I'm going to go for a walk." Daniel muttered, but no one seemed to pay him any mind, so he got up and headed over toward Charlotte, who had grabbed a dandelion off the ground below and was watching Elizabeth happily tear it apart.

"What's wrong?" He asked and she glanced up.

"I don't want to leave. Not yet." She said, sitting up and adjusting Elizabeth to her lap. "Leaving now – it could send us to a time we don't want to be in Dan."

"You're still worried about the Purge." He stated and she nodded, chewing on her lip. "Char, that doesn't happen for another 13 years."

"If we stay here, we're dead. If we move the Island, we're probably dead. More than likely I'll be the first to die in that situation." Charlotte continued. "And if anything I don't know what the side effect would do to her." She added, nodding toward Elizabeth, who was now throwing the bits of dandelion in several different directions. "In my entire life, I was dead set on never having kids. Now that I have one, I'd do anything to protect her – and putting her through that would break the promise that I made to protect her.

"I would too – and I'm trying to do what's best for all of us. Moving the Island may be the only chance."

"Who are you going to get to move it? The polar bears can't – they're dead or dying because the medication we give them so they can adapt to the tropical climate isn't working anymore. So that means someone has to move the Island, and I know for a fact that it sure as hell isn't going to be me." She nearly growled at him.

"I-."

"If you say you could, so help me God I will get off this hammock, kill you, and bury you so far beneath the Earth's crust that the core will incinerate your body." She threatened darkly. Daniel blinked, unsure of what to think. Fortunately, he was saved by Miles coming over.

"Everyone's going inside because LaFleur's paranoid. You two coming?"

"Uh, yeah." Daniel muttered, glancing at Charlotte, who was getting to her feet, nodding. The followed the group toward Juliet and Sawyer's house, shutting the door and locking it behind them. Charlotte sat down at the window, with Daniel, Hurley, and Jin sitting at the dining room table. Sawyer sat in the armchair with Juliet sitting on the arm, and Jack, Kate, and Miles sitting on the couch.

"I still say we move the island." Hurley stated after a moment of silence.

"Its too dangerous." Daniel replied instantly, running a hand through his hair.

"You lot weren't here last time that happened." Charlotte said, nodding toward Hurley, Kate, Jin, and Jack. "I nearly died from nosebleeds, we nearly got killed by flaming arrows, and would have probably been blown up by a radioactive bomb." Charlotte muttered.

"Well maybe that won't happen again." Kate said.

"Who's to say it won't though?" Juliet countered, pulling herself from where she had been absorbed in her thoughts. "We could be transported to a time that could get us all killed."

"You mean like 1992?"

They looked at Charlotte, who was turned away from them now.

"What are you talking about Red?" Sawyer asked.

"The year 1992 – Benjamin Linus will kill every single person in the Barracks, including us if we're here." She replied, glancing at him. "So I suggest you figure out something to do before then."

"How do you know this?" Jack asked her. The redhead smirked slightly, allowing her arms to drop to her sides.

"I've researched the Dharma Initiative and the known documented events on this Island for over five years. Trust me, I -." She cut herself off sharply and gripped the windowsill, suddenly sick looking.

"Charlotte? What's wrong?" Daniel asked, instantly by her side. She shook her head and used the hand that wasn't supporting her weight to clutch at her nose – Dan could see the red blood staining her pale fingers. Her eyes locked with his for the briefest of moments, and he saw the fear reflected in them.

"Dan, take the baby." She whispered suddenly, sitting down.

"But Ch -."

"Now Dan!" She all but shouted at him, handing him Elizabeth. Juliet came around to her side, grabbing several tissues from a box on the coffee table as she went.

"Not this again." Sawyer muttered.

"What?" Kate asked, watching Juliet attempt to help Charlotte stop her nose from bleeding.

"Time displacement." Juliet said quietly, just as Charlotte slid off the windowsill and collapsed. Sawyer's walkie crackled to life.

"LaFleur! Tell your men to get down the Orchid! Get Faraday and the others! We need all the help we can get!" A male voice echoed through.

"What's wrong?" Sawyer asked through the walkie.

"Something underneath the station exploded! We're in – holy shit!" The walkie died, and Sawyer looked up at the others.

Then, the low, familiar hum sounded. The sky grew brighter, light shining through the windows and blinding the survivors within.

After it died down, there seemed to be no change. Other than the time of day. It was dark outside. Sawyer went to the door and threw it open, only to spot Horace not far away. Glancing back at the confused survivors who were still trying to get over the blinding light, he headed outside to confront the man.

"Did we just time flash again?" Miles asked, getting to his feet. Juliet nodded.

"Dudes, that was weird." Hurley muttered.

"No you know what we went through." Juliet replied. "Dan?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Do you know why that happened?"

"We, um, apparently time flashed again. Why, I'm not sure." He muttered. "Is Charlotte going to be okay?"

"If she starts yelling in Korean, we know she's probably a goner." Miles muttered. Daniel sighed.

"Looks like red here had a point about the time moving." Sawyer said, coming back in the house.

"What?" Jin asked.

"I just had a little chat with Horace. Apparently, something at the Orchid station blew – 13 years ago." He muttered. "Which makes it 1992."

"If something blew, that means the wheel is probably dislocated again." Daniel muttered, and began pacing. "It means one of us is going to have to go down and fix it like Locke did."

An awkward silence filled the room, the only sound was the soft noise of Daniel's shoes against the floor as he continued to pace.

"What? We gonna draw straws? And who says it has to be one of us? Why can't we get one of the hippies to do it? Or one of them bears? Ain't that what they're trained for?" Sawyer said finally, folding his arms across his chest.

"James, how would you suggest we even get one of them to help us? If it didn't work out, it would blow our entire cover."

"Well, we're all going to be dead if someone doesn't do it."

Charlotte's eyes flickered open after another awkward silence filled the room. Juliet helped her sit up, pressing the tissues to her nose.

"Headaches? Double vision?" Daniel asked, switching the child to his other arm. Charlotte looked up at him, pushing herself shakily up onto her feet.

"Both." She whispered. Daniel's stomach churned. "But they should go away as long as there isn't another flash."

"Someone needs to reset the wheel again." Miles stated.

"I'll do it." Charlotte murmured. They looked at her.

"You just got finished saying you weren't going to do it." Daniel whispered, frowning. "And I'm not going to let you."

"Dan, I didn't ask for your permission." She suddenly snapped. Daniel looked taken aback – he hadn't seen her act like this in a long while. "So I'll do it, and hopefully you'll all end up in the right time." She said, rubbing her forehead as she turned away from them.

"Charlotte, you can't. Moving the Island isn't _safe_." Daniel stated. All eyes were on them now, and it made him feel uncomfortable. Charlotte just shook her head and stepped out the door, slamming it behind her.

**XXX**

That night, when Daniel awoke, Charlotte was gone. Her side of the bed was still slightly warm from where she had been, so he knew she couldn't have been far. He quickly dressed and headed out the door, glancing around. Seeing the light in Kate's house, he headed that way. She was probably still awake, and he didn't feel like putting up with a recently awakened Sawyer. Knocking lightly on the door, Kate almost instantly answered.

"Er, hi Dan. What's the matter?" She asked, leaning in the doorframe.

"Charlotte's gone. I'm going to find her so I was wondering if you could watch Elizabeth? I didn't want to wake Juliet up and I saw the light and you were so good at handling the other little baby Aaron or whatever." He rambled slightly. Running a hand through her hair, Kate chuckled softly.

"Sure Daniel. Just give me a minute and I'll be over."

"Thanks."

After making sure Kate was safely inside his house, Daniel took off into the jungle with a flashlight, knowing exactly where Charlotte was going. He wasn't going to let her turn the wheel, just to save them all. He'd figure out a better way. There had to be a better way.

Letting out a sigh, he crept along quietly as he could. The path to the Orchid was easy enough to take, even without a van, and didn't take him long. He reached the 'greenhouse' part of it with no trouble, but found he still hadn't caught up to Charlotte.

However, Daniel jumped at the sudden rustle of leaves behind him. Turning and shining his light, he found nothing. Charlotte couldn't have gone down into the station yet – he would have heard the elevator coming back up by now.

"I'm sorry Daniel."

He turned, just in time to be knocked hard across the face. So hard, it sent him stumbled back, falling to the ground, unconscious, the flashlight rolling from his hand. Charlotte picked it up where it rolled to her feet, looking at Daniel with a sad expression before turning and darting toward the elevator, taking it down, deeper into the station.

By the time Daniel awoke from being knocked out, the elevator was creaking back up. He ran to the elevator and pounded on the door, but it didn't make it go any faster. He was crying, but didn't realize it as he sobbed her name, leaning his forehead against the door.

Not long after, the bright light filled the sky again, the hum starting up. He shut his eyes against it, letting it engulf him and the entire island, knowing he'd probably never see Charlotte again.

And this time, there was nothing he could do about it.

**XXX**

_No, its not over. Quite a bit to go, actually. Reviews are love!_


	8. Chapter 8

She coughed, gasping for breath as she jerked up, eyes wide. The sunlight pounded down on her and within seconds she was already burning up, her hands stinging as she dragged them across the sand, pushing herself into a standing position. Something was weird about the place then she had last seen it – cameras circled the entire area. Confused, Charlotte took a step toward one, frowning. Her head was reeling, but she could still see the name branded on the side of the camera: _Widmore Industries_.

_Great._

As if on some sort of cue, a vehicle skidded around the side of one of the sand dunes, sent dirt flying in a cloud of dust. Charlotte shielded her eyes, blinking as two people suddenly stepped out from the car. Both were dark skinned, and both stopped barely a foot away from her.

"Who are-?" She began, but one reached forward and hit the nerve just below her ear, and her body fell like a lead balloon.

When she awoke, it wasn't to a blinding desert sun, but an air-conditioned car that smelled like peppermint and old cigars. Blinking, she brushed hair from her face and sat up properly, just then noticing the man sitting across from her. She was apparently in a limo, bound for some unknown destination.

"You." She whispered.

"Hello Miss. Lewis. Long time, no see."

"Its Mrs. now, actually." She replied almost coldly. "Last time I heard from you, you were hiring me aboard that deathtrap of yours." She hissed. Charles Widmore just chuckled.

"Glad to see you're still the same, even after being on that Island for over four years. Tell me – why are you wearing 70's clothing? Been doing a bit of time jumping have we?" The older man asked, shifting in the seat slightly as he straightened his tie. He'd poured himself a glass of whiskey from the mini bar in the limo, and was now sipping it from a crystal wine glass. Charlotte just wanted to take the glass and break it over the top of his smug little head. She didn't say anything, simply stared at him.

"That's fine. You don't have to speak. I'll do all the talking." He stated after a moment, taking a large drink of the whiskey in his glass. "You're going to tell me all you know about that Island – where it is, what bearing you have to go in on, everything."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I know you have people back there that you want to save. And I have plans to send out another Freighter – you cooperate, I'll make sure those people are safe."

"Oh, you mean like you were going to save the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 – your mercenaries were going to kill everyone on that bloody Island!" She growled. He chuckled softly.

"If you don't help me, I'll kill them all anyway."

"What if I don't care for any of them on the Island?" She questioned defiantly.

"I'll kill them, and then I'll kill you."

Well then. When he put it like that.

"I don't know anything about that Island – you've got the wrong person. Faraday is the one you need to talk to, and he's a bit stuck at the moment." She muttered.

"Well, if I'm to guess, I think you'd know all about his research – you are married to him aren't you?" He nodded toward the golden band that glittered around her finger. "And I distinctly remember him having a protection over you, back in the fifties – I remember you now that I see your face – you were one of the ones we caught. You have been time traveling." Widmore said with an almost smirk. Charlotte rubbed her temples.

"I only know – bits and pieces. If even that." She said finally.

"Well then, you're lucky I have Eloise Hawking on my speed dial. She's agreed to help."

Charlotte nearly slid from the seat at the name. The old bat was still alive?

"So what's it going to be Charlotte? Are you going to help me find the Island – or let your friends die?"

**XXX**

When Daniel got back to the Barracks, it was daylight. All the survivors had gathered outside, along with two new faces – Sun and Frank. Sun seemed to be attached to Jin's hip, Juliet was arguing with Jack and Sawyer about something, and Kate seemed to have drifted off alone. Frank and Miles weren't far away, Elizabeth safely in the arms of the pilot, who seemed to be happy holding her.

"Daniel! What happened?" Juliet asked the moment she saw Daniel emerge from the trees.

"Charlotte moved the Island." He whispered. "And considering Sun and Frank are here, I'd say we landed in the right time."

"So the beach camp is back, right? We should head back there then, since all our stuff is there." Sawyer stated, slinging his gun over his shoulder.

"Don't forget Alpert and his Hostiles are probably still here." Miles said.

"How long has he been around?" Jack asked.

"A long time." Juliet replied dryly. "Come on. We want to try and reach the beach before sundown."

"What about Ben?"

Everyone looked to Kate.

"What about him?" Hurley asked, glancing around.

"He was on the plane with us. Shouldn't he be here too?"

"Why would you want that manipulator around?" Juliet asked almost bitterly, shaking loose hair from her face. "Lets go." She urged, and without another word, began toward the jungle. Sawyer, Miles, and Hurley followed, then Jin and Sun. Daniel and Frank weren't far behind, and bringing up the rear were Kate and Jack.

"What happened to your face?" Miles asked, glancing sideways at Daniel in the morning light. Daniel reached up and gingerly touched his temple, where apparently a bruise was forming.

"Charlotte. She uh, knocked me out."

"Tried and stopped her didn't you?" Frank asked with a laugh. "Shoulda known better not to do that Faraday. You're lucky she didn't knock that head of yours right off your shoulders." He stated. "But I have to say – the two of you sure got busy didn't you? Otherwise I wouldn't be holding this sweet little piece of cutie."

Daniel smiled faintly.

It took them the better part of the day to reach the beach, and by the time they did, the sun was close to setting again.

"So now that we're back in our own time, what do we do?" Kate asked as they began to search the tents, checking to see if everything was still there. Daniel zoned out, heading for his and Charlotte's old ten, the baby sleeping soundly in his arms. He was almost thankful she was a quiet child, because he really didn't know the first thing with dealing with a baby.

Everything was pretty much the way they had left things. Her pack was still lying in a corner and he sighed – he wasn't sure he could stay here, with her things staring at him. Shaking his head, he sat down in the middle of the blankets, looking at the ground.

"Uh, Dan?" Kate's voice outside caught his attention.

"Yeah?"

"I thought you might want this. Um – it used to be Aaron's, but he's – he's not here anymore." She said, entering with what appeared to be a hand carved cradle. He could almost see a flicker of regret behind her eyes, but he took it with a gentle smile.

"Thanks Kate."

"No problem." She flashed a brief smile before ducking out of the tent. Daniel stared at the tent opening for a long while, only being pulled from his thoughts when thunder crackled overhead, lightning flashing and touching down what he could have sworn was inches from the tent.

He placed the baby in the cradle, making sure she was still sleeping before wrapping himself in one of the heavy airplane blankets and slipping into a fitful, dreamless sleep.

**XXX**

_Short chapter. Will update soon!_


	9. Chapter 9

_She was back. _

_Home._

_Standing on the golden sand of the beach, Charlotte looked around. The camp that she had briefly lived in stood down farther on the beach, so she headed that way, her feet sinking into the sand with each step. However, as she neared the camp, she sensed something was wrong. Growing even closer, she stopped dead in her tracks._

_Juliet lay not far away, Sawyer beneath her as if she had been trying to protect him, both of them shot through the chest twice. Miles was a few more feet away, clutching his can of peanuts. Jack, and then Kate were near the jungle, and Hurley was nowhere to be seen._

_And neither was her Dan._

_Charlotte ran into the jungle, calling his name. Thunder rumbled overhead, threatening to rain at any moment. Within seconds she had emerged into a clearing, skidding to a halt._

_Dan was there, a gun directly pointed at his head. The wielder of the gun turned toward her and she could see it was Benjamin Linus. In his arms was her daughter, not even disturbed by the face that she was being taken from her parents by a monster._

"_No!" Charlotte shouted just as the gun went off. Dan crumbled by the small creek, and with a second shot, Charlotte was on her knees, darkness spiraling in all around her._

She screamed, toppling out of bed, the sheets tangling around her body as she hit the floor, knocking the breath out of her lungs. She gasped, shaking as she shoved the blankets off her because they were too restricting. She was back in her hotel room in Los Angeles, on the carpeted floor, drenched in a cold sweat. Her hand was at her chest, right where Ben had supposedly shot her – but it had all been a dream.

"Get up. You were dreaming."

Charlotte jumped, looking up to see a familiar older woman rifling through the things at the desk without interest.

"Eloise."

"Charlotte."

Charlotte got to her feet, tossing the sheets and blankets back onto the bed, her hands moving to rest on her hips as she looked at the woman.

"How'd you get in?"

"With this." Eloise Hawking replied, holding up a card key – presumably the one to Charlotte's door – and still not looking at her. She was flipping through a room service menu, making faces slightly at the listings of food. Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"What do you want?"

"Did Charles not tell you that you were to meet with me?"

"Yeah, but he didn't exactly mention you appearing out of nowhere in my room – he mentioned lunch or something." Charlotte muttered, striding toward the sliding glass doors that led out onto the balcony. She looked out across the Los Angeles skyline, the ocean in the distance. She let out a harsh sigh.

"Well, silly of him." She said, finally taking the time to look at Charlotte. "You know, I never understood what my son sees in you." She added suddenly and Charlotte snorted, turning to look at her.

"_Funny_. I never imagined you as a _motherly_ type."

"Trust me, I'm not. Charles was the one who raised and funded the boy, I just taught him most of what he knows."

"He's probably smarter than you right now." Charlotte whispered quietly, watching her. Eloise shrugged.

"Probably. But anyway, before you can even think about saving him, you need to find three people." Eloise instructed. Charlotte arched an eyebrow. "Well, one mainly, but he won't do anything unless the other two come along."

"Just tell me." Charlotte said, jaw muscle twitching.

"Find Desmond Hume. He should be docked somewhere down on the marina by tonight, with his wife Penelope and son Charlie. Convince him to return to the church at this address." She paused, handing Charlotte a piece of paper that had an address written on it, the piece of paper ripped from a notebook. "Desmond is the one who will be doing all the rescuing – all you have to do it sit back and watch like a good little child."

"I'm not a child."

"To me you are. I'm several years your senior, Miss. Anthropologist. So keep that attitude of yours in check, or you'll never be seeing your friends again." Eloise stated. Charlotte frowned.

"The only one on that Island I even care about anymore is your son, Eloise. Oh and did I mention? You have a granddaughter now stuck on that Island – so I suggest that once I find Desmond Hume, you get him to do whatever it is he needs to do – and fast. Or else you might find yourself answering to me." She threatened darkly. Eloise stared at her.

"You're no threat to me, Charlotte, so don't even try to pull that. I know even more connections than Daniel's father – and just remember. If you don't get Desmond Hume to come to that church, there is a second freighter, waiting to deploy on orders of Charles. Sent to kill everyone on that Island. So I suggest you be the one to 'hurry up' or else you might never see them alive again." She said in a dangerously low tone. Flashing a smile at Charlotte, she left the room, shutting the door silently behind her.

Several hours later, Charlotte found herself wandering the marina, looking for any sign of Desmond or his wife. She had no idea where their boat was, or even what it was called, so among all the many fishing boats and small yachts, it was going to be rather difficult.

"Charlie don't go too far!" A distinct British accent spoke to her left and Charlotte glanced up. A woman stood aboard a boat, watching her son run around on the dock, chasing a seagull that was flying up in the air. Frowning slightly, Charlotte headed that way. It had to be Desmond's son, and his wife, aboard the boat.

The little boy was chasing the seagull that he wasn't paying attention to the dock. As he neared the edge, about to topple off, Charlotte grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him back just before he stumbled off the side of the dock. He giggled and looked up at her a moment before tottering back down the dock, now interested in another seagull that had landed on the dock.

"Thanks – the boy's so reckless, just like his father." Penny said, stepping down from the boat and onto the dock. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, I think I'm looking for your husband – Desmond?" Charlotte said and Penny arched an eyebrow, not so sure of this redhead standing in front of her.

"Who are you?"

"My name's Charlotte Lewis." She replied. "You may know my boyfriend – or rather, husband I guess. At least, probably heard of him – Daniel Faraday?"

Penny frowned.

"Des!" She called, not taking her eyes off Charlotte. After a moment, Desmond appeared up on the deck of the boat, his wide grin slipping into a frown.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, seeing Charlotte.

"You two know each other?" Penny asked and they both nodded. Desmond moved to join his wife and Charlotte on the docks, snaking an arm around Penny's waist.

"Charlotte, right? How'd you get off that Island?"

"That's not important now. What's important is that I need you to come with me. I have something to show you, and you may be the only one who can help me." Charlotte said quietly. If she had to pull the sob story act, she would, but only if needed.

"Show me what?" He inquired, glancing back at his wife, who had gone to chase her son.

"Something you need to see." She said insistently. "And if you must know, if has to do with that Island. But don't worry; I've been assured you don't have to go back there. I just need your help in getting Dan off it."

"Dan? As in Daniel Faraday?"

"Yes." She nodded. "He's stuck there, along with most of your friends, again. And they need your help. If you don't, they're all going to die." She said in a serious tone, looking him dead in the eyes. He watched her for a moment, seemingly contemplating the issue.

"Lead away."

But not an hour later when the taxi stopped at the church, Desmond was flipping out.

"Oh no! You're working for her aren't you? Faraday's mother! You want me back on that Island!" He stated, refusing to get out of the taxi.

"Just get out of the damn cab! I promised you that you weren't going to have to go back to that Island! Now just listen to me for bloody God's sake and come on!" She said, taking him by the arm and literally dragging him out of the cab. "Just come and talk to the old hag! I hate her probably just about as much as you do, so just keep quiet and come on or I'll knock you out."

Desmond muttered several swears under his breath that Charlotte ignored, pulling him into the church, where Eloise stood, lighting candles on the altar.

"About time. I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it." She spoke, not turning toward them until every single candle had been lit. "Desmond, nice to see you again. Charlotte."

Charlotte rolled her eyes and shed her coat, tossing it over the back of one of the pews. "You owe me Hawking."

"I already gave you my permission to date my son – what more do you want?"

"I don't need your permission." Charlotte scowled. "Now get to doing what it is you're doing. I'm going to go back to the hotel and get some actual sleep." She muttered. "Not going to appear out of nowhere in my room again are you?" She asked, eying Eloise for a moment.

"Nope. Wouldn't dream of it. I'll be much too busy with Desmond by then anyway." She smiled, glancing at Desmond, who glanced between them, confused.

"I'm not going back to that island."

Charlotte started toward the door, but Eloise stopped her.

"Charlotte, you're not exempt from this. We need your help too." She said and Charlotte whirled.

"You said all I had to do was find him!" She accused, pointing at Desmond. Eloise shrugged.

"I lied." She said, and disappeared through a door to the left, gesturing for Desmond and Charlotte to follow her. Muttering several swears, Charlotte reluctantly followed, down a set of spiral stairs and through a large opening, into a room with a swinging pendulum and a large map set up across the floor of the room.

"There's and off-Island DHARMA station?" Charlotte asked, noticing several of the symbols on the computer, chalkboard, and papers strewn about the desk. "This is how they found the Island, isn't it?"

"Very good – you're not as stupid as I thought you were." Eloise stated. Charlotte frowned, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at the older woman's back.

"Just tell me what I need to do." She muttered.

"You stop that Freighter from leaving. Charles must not get back on that Island." She stated.

"What do I do? Go up to him and ask him nicely?"

"I'm sure you have an imagination – just think of the first Freighter you were on, and what happened to it." Eloise told her, ruffling through several papers and extracting one finally. "A Freighter hired by me is going to the Island tomorrow, on my orders, to pick up the survivors, after Desmond here does his job. Do you want a place on it?"

Charlotte looked at her, shutting her eyes for a moment before turning away from her, heading back toward the door.

"No." Her voice echoed down the hallway as she ascended the stairs, slamming the door behind her.

**XXX**

_Sorry it took so long to update! Reviews are love!_


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